Airbus had 3D printed parts for A350 XWB aircraft

BANGALORE, INDIA: Aircraft manufacturer, Airbus has produced more than 1000 flight parts on Stratasys‘ FDM 3D Production Systems for use in the A350 XWB aircraft. The 3D printed parts were used in place of traditionally manufactured parts to increase supply chain flexibility, enabling Airbus to meet its delivery commitment on-time.

Airbus initiated development and certification of 3D printing with Stratasys in 2013 as a schedule risk reduction activity.

The parts are 3D printed using ULTEM 9085 resin for FDM, which is certified to an Airbus material specification. ULTEM 9085 resin provides high strength-to-weight ratio and is FST (flame, smoke, and toxicity) compliant for aircraft interior applications. This enables Airbus to manufacture strong, lighter weight parts while substantially reducing production time and manufacturing costs.

Dan Yalon, Executive Vice President, Business Development, Marketing & Vertical Solutions for Stratasys said, “Our additive manufacturing solutions can produce complex parts on-demand, ensuring on time delivery while streamlining supply chains. Additive manufacturing also greatly improves the buy-to-fly ratio as significantly less material is wasted than with conventional manufacturing methods. Stratasys is looking forward to bringing these and other advantages to its collaboration with Airbus and to being part of Airbus’ Factory of the Future initiative.”

An alternative to conventional manufacturing methods, Stratasys additive manufacturing enables original and replacement parts to be digitally produced at the best suited locations, reducing both material waste and inventory requirements.

By adopting additive manufacturing throughout the product lifecycle, companies can therefore lower operational costs, accelerate time to market, decentralize production, and add new innovative product functionality.